Jayden Daniels’ latest elbow scare has put Washington in a familiar, uncomfortable place: waiting on its franchise quarterback and wondering how much risk it can stomach before handing out a massive extension.
That tension didn’t exist because Daniels played poorly. It exists because he’s too important to the Commanders when he’s right, and too unavailable this season to ignore. He was already considered one of the NFL’s top-five quarterbacks for 2025 after leading Washington to its best season in 33 years two years ago, when the Commanders won 12 regular-season games, reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season, beat Detroit, the NFC’s top seed, and then fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the conference title game.
But 2025 has been a different story. Daniels has dealt with multiple injuries, including a dislocated elbow, and those issues have cost him 10 games.
Washington made an offseason change at offensive coordinator, promoting David Blough to build around Daniels with a modern NFL offense that featured more work under center and an emphasis on the traditional running game. Daniels still looked sharp in camp.
After a slow Week 1, he nearly dragged the Commanders to a comeback win over the Eagles.
Then came last week in Dallas. Daniels had Washington in position to tie at the end of the first half when left guard Chris Paul stepped on his foot and he fell. As he tried to brace himself with his left, non-throwing arm, he hurt the same elbow he dislocated last November.
Commanders fans were stunned. Upset, too.
But the news this week brought relief: Daniels will not need surgery, and head coach Dan Quinn said he’s considered “week-to-week.” When he does return, he’ll wear a brace.
It’ll be bulky, but it’s not expected to change what he can do on the field. The adjustment is more about Daniels getting used to it.
That medical update matters because Daniels is now eligible for his first NFL extension after this season. After 2024, the question around him was whether he could eventually become the NFL’s first $100 million-per-year quarterback. Now, Washington has to weigh the same kind of sky-high upside against a very real availability concern.
The Commanders are in no hurry to make that call. They’ll pick up Daniels’ fifth-year option next spring, giving them two more years under contract. After that, there’s the franchise tag if it comes to it.
NFL insider Jonathan Jones of The Athletic spoke with multiple NFL executives about Daniels, and the opinions were clear: the medical situation changes the conversation.
“If I’m the kid, I get the surgery,” one NFL team executive says. “I get it might put the team in a weird spot. … I wouldn’t pay him without the surgery.”
Daniels consulted experts from across the country, and they determined surgery wasn’t necessary. The other thing to keep in mind is that outside observers, including other teams and “Twitter doctors,” haven’t seen his medicals. If Daniels does eventually choose surgery, he could wait until after the season.
Another executive told Jones, “Him coming back early is the riskiest outcome for a team that’s on the fringe of making the playoffs (even if he is) 100 percent.”
That’s the reality of the position. Washington wasn’t going to rush him back, and if the experts had recommended surgery, the Commanders could have pushed him in that direction.
They didn’t. Daniels is taking a risk, but so is every player every time he steps on the field.
A third executive put the team’s dilemma this way: “I would wait to pay him until I see him fully healthy. I’m OK overspending on the QB position if I’m sure on the guy, because the difference in $70 million per year versus $75 million is nonexistent.
If they have to wait, so be it. It’s not an uncommon thing, and the Commanders would have a very logical defense in that, ‘We need to know you’ll remain healthy.’”
That’s a fair argument, even if it carries its own danger. Teams can strain a relationship by waiting, and money always adds heat to the situation. Daniels doesn’t seem like the kind of player who would let that spiral, but Washington still has every reason to protect itself before making a franchise-altering commitment.
The Commanders are ready to pay Daniels like the quarterback they believe he is. They’ve been searching for this guy for years.
But if he gets back on the field and looks like the player they know he can be, the whole debate fades quickly. Then an extension gets done in the offseason.
If he misses more time, Washington still doesn’t have to rush anything.
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